Live-Action “Legend of Zelda” Movie in the Works from Nintendo with “Maze Runner” Director

'Zelda' is one of Nintendo's most popular video game franchises, first introduced back in 1986

The Legend of Zelda is getting the movie treatment.

Nintendo announced on Tuesday that it is partnering with Avi Arad’s Arad Productions to develop a live-action film based on the classic video game franchise, first introduced back in 1986.

Wes Ball — director of the Maze Runner trilogy and the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes — has signed on to helm the project. The movie will be co-financed by Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

"By producing visual contents of Nintendo IP by itself, Nintendo is creating new opportunities to have people access the world of entertainment which Nintendo has built, through different means apart from its dedicated game consoles," Nintendo said in a press release announcing the movie.

Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo's legendary video game designer and a representative director at the company, revealed in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the Zelda project has been in the works for some time.

"I have been working on the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda for many years now with Avi Arad-san, who has produced many mega hit films," wrote Miyamoto, who will serve as producer for the movie.

Related: 'The Last of Us' and Other Video Games That Have Been Adapted for TV and Film

"We have now officially started the development of the film with Nintendo itself heavily involved in the production. It will take time until its completion, but I hope you look forward to seeing it," he continued.

The Legend of Zelda film adaptation follows Sony's blockbuster hit Super Mario Bros. Movie — starring Chris Pratt, Charlie Day and Anya Taylor-Joy — which is based on another legacy Nintendo franchise. In June, the movie surpassed Disney's Frozen to become the second-highest grossing animated film of all time with $1.283 billion in revenue, only slightly behind Frozen II.

Related: 'Super Mario Bros. Wonder' Brings Mario Back to 2D! See a Trailer for the New Nintendo Switch Game

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Created by Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, The Legend of Zelda action-adventure game franchise centers on elf-like warrior Link and Princess Zelda as they battle to save their kingdom and vanquish Ganon, an evil warlord turned demon king.

Since the original game was released more than 35 years ago, the series has rolled out 19 additional games, as well as several spinoffs. The most recent addition to the catalog is 2023's Tears of Kingdom, a sequel to Breath of the Wild. An animated TV series based on the game debuted in 1989, but only aired for a single season.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.